The Ministry of Foreign Affairs which is spearheading preparations for Antigua and Barbuda’s hosting of the 55th General Assembly of the Organisation of American States (OAS) next month, has launched an education campaign to raise of the level of awareness among members of the public.
The communications team within the Ministry is targeting schools in the country in an effort to engage with students on what is the OAS, what it stands for and how will hosting the General Assembly benefit Antigua and Barbuda.
On Wednesday, members of the team accompanied Foreign Affairs Minister, E.P Chet Greene, on a visit to the Christian Union Church’s Primary School on Wireless Road.
Minister Greene explained to the eager young people that the OAS supports several key principles among its membership; supporting democracy, protecting human rights and promoting peace. In fact, he noted that the Americas as a region, has been declared ‘a Zone of Peace’.
He noted that the June 25-27 meeting of the OAS General Assembly will bring together presidents and prime ministers along with their foreign ministers from the 35-member states of the organization. He told the students that as the host country, everyone, including students, has a role to play in making our guests feel welcome.
The minister also announced that one student from each of the schools visited during the campaign will be selected to be his special guest to attend the opening of the OAS General Assembly next month. “This will be a special opportunity to meet with foreign ministers of the OAS during the meeting in Antigua and Barbuda. Additionally, if the schedule permits, I will also explore the possibility of having some of the visiting foreign ministers make special visits to some of our schools,” Minister Greene revealed.
Communications team member, Everton Barnes, spoke of the economic spin-offs of the country’s hosting of the OAS GA. These range from increased occupancy of local hotels, brisk business for taxi-drivers and others in the hospitality sector as well as an opportunity for the country to showcase its many attractions.
Briana Anthony, another member of the communications team, laid the groundwork for the discussion by explaining the significance of the visit to the school and the purpose of the campaign.
The communications team plans to visit other schools over the coming weeks for similar engagements.
